1. Field
One feature relates to communication systems, and more particularly, to an improved method for a service provider entity to personalize a subscriber device to ensure the subscriber device cannot be used in a network of a different service provider entity.
2. Background
Mobile network operators (i.e. network entities, service providers or service provider entities) may wish to subsidize subscriber devices, such as femtocells/Home (e) Node Bs (H(e)NB), relays, end-user devices including modems, tablets, and mobile phones. However, many of these emerging subscriber devices may not use smartcards for authentication, but instead may rely on authentication based on device certificates.
A network entity or service provider entity that subsidizes such a device may want to ensure that the subsidized device cannot be used in a network for a different service provider entity. As there is mutual authentication between the subscriber device, such as a femtocell, and the network of the service provider entity (e.g., Security Gateway in the case of femtocells), one way to achieve ensuring that the subsidized device cannot be used in a network for a different service provider entity is by ensuring that the subscriber device will successfully authenticate only to a specific service provider entity. Current methods for accomplishing this provide for the device manufacturer to install a root certificate for only one service provider entity on the subsidized device. Although this will enable a subsidizing service provider entity to ensure the subsidized device cannot be used in a network for a different service provider entity, it creates inefficiencies in the manufacturing process and prevents a subscriber device which was manufactured for one service provider entity from being sold to another, for example in the situation in which an order is cancelled.
Therefore, a system and method are needed that allow a subsidizing service provider entity to ensure a subsidized device cannot be used in a network for a different service provider entity while preventing the current inefficiencies in the manufacturing process.